Zorro's Secret Courtship
by mjf2468
Summary: An opportunity occurred, giving Diego the opportunity to court Victoria and propose without sharing the secret of Zorro. He finally gets the courage to tell her before it's too late. But it's in the middle of their engagement. Just a short scene, without much plot, but lots of fireworks.
1. Chapter 1: Diego faces the fire

Summary: Diego has courted Victoria and proposed without sharing the secret of Zorro. He finally gets the courage to tell her before it's too late. But it's in the middle of their engagement. Just a short scene, without much plot.

Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended. WPI owns characters of Zorro, Victoria, and Diego.

 **AN: I wanted to explore Victoria's reactions in such a situation without writing the build-up (mainly because the Muse refused to allow me to work with me any further on this, sigh). I wondered what would happen if Diego would let the situation develop, to enter a courtship with Victoria without her knowing about Zorro. Hope you enjoy.**

Today was the day. Today was the day Diego was going to tell Victoria the truth. Yesterday he had decided it was time to tell her and had asked Victoria to take a walk with him during siesta. It was indeed time to tell her the truth. The long-overdue truth. The truth which might blow his happiness to smithereens.

As he walked towards the tavern, Diego still could not believe how the events of the past month had spun out of control. He had not planned it, but the opportunity to court Victoria as himself had presented itself, and he grabbed it. The courtship went so well, so effortless, he could not bear the thought of disturbing it with anything, much less revealing to Victoria he was Zorro. Despite her accepting him as Diego, accepting his courting her as Diego, he remained so afraid of not being able to compete with the mystery of Zorro.

However, the time had arrived for him to tell her. He had to. Otherwise, it would continue to become more and more difficult as the day of their wedding approached. And he absolutely refused to marry her without the revelation. He respected her too much to do that to her.

Diego reached the tavern and looked up to the cloudless sky and breathed a prayer for courage. He exhaled a big breath as he entered the tavern and looked for his fiancée. Her eyes caught his across the room, and she rushed over to greet him with a beautiful smile and a hug. "It's such a beautiful day, I'm so glad you suggested a walk today."

Diego forced a smile at her. "I was thinking we should go walking in the church garden today."

Victoria agreed, and they headed to the garden, where they walked in comfortable silence until they reached a bench. Diego indicated Victoria should sit down and then sat beside her. He gingerly took both her hands in his and faced her.

"Victoria, I have something to tell you which I should have told you before I asked for your hand in marriage."

"What is it, Diego?" Victoria asked, concerned with the serious look on Diego's face.

Diego then glanced yet again around him to ensure that there was no one who could overhear. He then took a deep breath, braced himself, and then stated, "I…. I am Zorro."

Victoria looked at Diego in puzzlement. She then shook her head as if she was attempting to clear anything that might have led her to misunderstand what he had said. "What? Diego, don't be ridiculous. How could you be Zorro?"

Diego shuffled his feet in place, looking down at them and wondered how he ever got himself in such a predicament. "I guess I acted too convincingly," Diego laughed nervously. Victoria glared at him. "Yes, Victoria, it's true. I…."

Victoria brushed away Diego's hands and stood up. She backed away from him, tears beginning to form in her eyes.

"Diego, how could you? How could you court me, propose, and carry out our engagement without telling me about Zorro? How can I ever trust you again?"

Diego reached for her, but Victoria batted away his arms angrily. "No, I refuse to talk about anything but this issue!"

Diego sighed heavily, and straightened himself on the garden bench. "I am sorry, Victoria. I never meant to hurt you."

"Well, you did! Not only you, as my best friend, lied to me continuously in the past two years, but then you decide to court me without letting me know. But the worse of it is that you considered marrying me without even telling me the truth. How long were you going to hide it? Did you actually think we could be married and you never tell me?"

"No, that's why I'm finally telling you now. The one thing I knew for certain was that I wasn't going to marry you without you knowing. I never, never wanted that. However, I've been so unbelievably happy with you in my life finally, that…that I could not disrupt that. After all these years, I thought we deserved some happiness before I…before it could be ruined."

Victoria continued her angry pacing punctuated with her occasional flinging her hands up into the air. "What? _We_? You now include me in this? Finally? I don't know what I'm most angry about, but maybe we could start with one question?" Victoria approached Diego, hands on hips, and asked, "What did you mean by 'before it could be ruined'?"

Diego noticed some of the fire had extinguished in her eyes, and he had a faint sense of hope. He shuffled his feet and said in a quieter tone, "How could you love me, just Diego?" He continued, "How could you love me, the inept swordsman, the man who never did anything but read and play music?"

Victoria was shocked into silence by his admission. Diego waited for her to say something, but she only looked up at him with widened eyes and trembling lips.

Diego looked at Victoria with a devastated look in his eyes. "I couldn't believe how lucky I was. Here you were, loving me, _Diego_. Not Zorro. And you, agreeing to marry _Diego_? I…. I just could not believe it."

Victoria conceded that point. "Okay, then, my second question…. why did you begin to court me as Zorro in the first place?"

Diego again shrugged his shoulders. "When I first started the charade as Zorro, I foolishly did not look very far into the future. I hadn't realized I was going to have to continue the charade for so long. I was foolhardy as a youth thinking I could beat the Alcalde easily, or change things, and then we could get married."

Victoria's lips curved into a tremulous smile. "Yes, you were quite a foolhardy youth at times, weren't you?" Shaking her head, to get herself back on track, she continued. "I don't understand why I didn't question why the daring, brash youth who had gone to Spain came back as a stuffy scholar who swore off fighting." She took a seat on the bench next to Diego. "You really must think of me as stupid for being fooled or not worthy of your love for not seeing through the masquerade."

Diego reached for her and gathered her petite hands in his large ones. "Never, Victoria. You only saw what I wanted you to see, not just for my safety but for yours as well. My father does not know either."

Victoria pulled her hands out of his grasp. "What? Your father does not know either?" Shocked, she could not speak while she gathered her thoughts. "How, how…. why…. he does not know? Who has been helping you then?"

"You know my father, and how impetuous he is. It was for his safety as well." Sighing, Diego told her the next bit of news. "Felipe has been helping me from the beginning."

Victoria felt a spark of anger at that statement. "How could you allow a young boy to help you when you refused to allow either your father or me to help? How does that make sense?"

"Well, you see, he was there in the beginning, when I got the idea. He was the one who discovered Zorro's cave, and when he showed it to me we found a young fox in the cave. That led me to think about a fox's behavior, and how he has to be sly to catch his prey, and…. I had to rescue you and my father from the Alcalde's noose."

Victoria cocked her head to one side, and pursed her lips in thought. "Hmm, that's right. I forgot about that."

"You see, the Alcalde had threatened me and my father if I did anything to help the two of you. He could have taken away our lands and left our tenants homeless, besides killing both my father and me. So that's why I had to be disguised. I only planned it to be a one-time thing, but….it worked out so well, and the Alcalde continued to be unreasonable, I just had to continue the masquerade."

"And then I practically threw myself at you," Victoria said in a self-deprecating tone.

Diego raised an eyebrow at that. "So, you admit you began the flirtation then?" he asked in a teasing tone.

Victoria's cheeks flushed a pretty shade of light pink. "I guess you got me there. But Zorro was so romantic, so mysterious, and so heroic…I couldn't help myself." Victoria shook herself again. "But…. I'm still angry you never included me in your secret. Why didn't you trust me?"

Diego then saw the hurt as well as the anger in Victoria's eyes. "It wasn't that I couldn't trust you. There's no one I trust more than I do you. It's just…. well, for many reasons. The more people who know, the more dangerous it is. I would worry too much about you and your reactions to be on my guard." Diego shrugged. "I also never wanted you to have to live a life of lies as well. At least, until…. until I knew you would be in my life forever." Diego looked down at Victoria with a question in his eyes.

Victoria shook her head. "This is a lot to take in, Diego."

Diego nodded. "I know. And I am sorry. This is such a mess, and exactly why I was afraid to tell you."

Sighing, Victoria looked at her beloved. "It will take me some time to sort all this out for myself."

Diego again nodded. "I'll give you all the time you need, Victoria. Just don't shut me out."

"Even if it means we go back to the beginning of a courtship? Because I feel like I don't know you. The real you. Either of you."

Diego sighed. "If that is what you want, I'll gladly postpone the wedding. Just don't shut me out completely."

Victoria shook her head and sighed. "I wish I could stay angry with you, but I can't. But I need time. Time to get to know you, the real you. The one without masks. Either mask."

"I can certainly do that, my sweet Victoria. I only wish to make up to you for all of this, and I will spend the rest of my life doing that, if only you'll give me a chance."

"It will also take me some time to become used to such charming things coming out of Diego's mouth, when it's only been Zorro's I have heard such things from."

Diego took Victoria's hand, raised it to his mouth, looked deeply into Victoria's eyes and kissed the back of it as gently as he could. Victoria was reminded of that fateful kiss on the hand he had given her upon his return from Spain, and she blushed lightly again.

Diego smiled, as if he knew what she was remembering. "I suppose we should return to the tavern. You are still a working woman, until we get married, that is."

Victoria silently agreed, and took the arm he offered. As they silently walked back to the tavern, Victoria couldn't believe everything which had occurred. She quickly reviewed all that was ahead of her the rest of the day, looking for some time to herself. Victoria vowed to take some time later in the evening to think about Zorro and Diego, and everything that it would all mean. She wanted to sort it out quickly, because part of her did indeed want to marry the man as soon as possible. But only when things were right. And, she vowed, with everything inside of her, things would soon be right again. Just as soon as she sorted it all out.

 **AN: Thanks for reading this. If the Muse cooperates, I may continue in this universe. But for now, I'll consider this one done. I just wanted to explore Victoria's explosive feelings if they would end up in such a situation. Because the Muse had the idea, but didn't go any further with it though, what can a writer do?**

 **Sure would appreciate hearing from you…always makes me smile! And encourages that stubborn Muse as well…. we do need more Zorro stories, you know!**


	2. Chapter 2: A New Beginning

Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended. WPI owns characters of Zorro, Victoria, and Diego. I just own the original ideas found in this.

 **AN: With the marvelous feedback, reviews, and encouragement I received for the first chapter, the Muse decided to work on a second chapter. She decided she could find a plot after all.**

Previously:

 _Diego again nodded. "I'll give you all the time you need, Victoria. Just don't shut me out."_

 _"_ _Even if it means we go back to the beginning of a courtship? Because I feel like I don't know you. The real you. Either of you."_

 _Diego sighed. "If that is what you want, I'll gladly postpone the wedding. Just don't shut me out completely."_

 _Victoria shook her head and sighed. "I wish I could stay angry with you, but I can't. But I need time. Time to get to know you, the real you. The one without masks. Either mask."_

 _"_ _I can certainly do that, my sweet Victoria. I only wish to make up to you for all of this, and I will spend the rest of my life doing that, if only you'll give me a chance."_

 _"_ _It will also take me some time to become used to such charming things coming out of Diego's mouth, when it's only been Zorro's I have heard such things from."_

 _Diego took Victoria's hand, raised it to his mouth, looked deeply into Victoria's eyes and kissed the back of it as gently as he could. Victoria was reminded of that fateful kiss on the hand he had given her upon his return from Spain, and she blushed lightly again._

 _Diego smiled, as if he knew what she was remembering. "I suppose we should return to the tavern. You are still a working woman, until we get married, that is."_

 _Victoria silently agreed, and took the arm he offered. As they silently walked back to the tavern, Victoria couldn't believe everything which had occurred. She quickly reviewed all that was ahead of her the rest of the day, looking for some time to herself. Victoria vowed to take some time later in the evening to think about Zorro and Diego, and everything that it would all mean._

 _She wanted to sort it out quickly, because part of her did indeed want to marry the man as soon as possible. But only when things were right. And, she vowed, with everything inside of her, things would soon be right again. Just as soon as she sorted it all out._

When they were almost at the tavern, Diego pulled Victoria behind the building. "Before I leave you, may I ask you to come to the hacienda for supper tonight? We have to discuss several issues, now that we're going to delay the wedding." In a quieter tone, he added, "We have to be very careful in what our story is for delaying the wedding, so we don't cause anyone, especially the Alcalde, to get suspicious."

Before she could hold her tongue, Victoria said, "If you had told me your secret _before_ we set the date, we wouldn't be in this mess." Only then Victoria realized the full extent of the possible danger which existed for Diego. Her eyes widened and she whispered, "Oh, Diego, I'm sorry. I guess I'm still angry. But I never thought, what _are_ we to do? How can we hope to protect you?"

Diego looked at her with pain in his eyes. "Again, I'm very sorry I developed this mess. I didn't think about all the implications. I was just so happy being able to finally show you my love, I lost all reason."

Victoria looked sideways at Diego. "Are you just being charming again?"

"No, I mean it, Victoria. I do. But, please come out for supper tonight, so we can discuss our plans." A small flicker of hope entered Diego's eyes. "I can start to show you the real Diego."

"But Diego, how can you show me that if your father does not know?"

Diego considered her statement. He acknowledged the wisdom of her question with a small nod and a rueful smile on his face. "Yes, I didn't consider all the consequences of this when I let it go this far. It might indeed be time to tell him the truth as well. Then I can truly show you my real self in the hacienda. Well, both you and my Father." He added, softly, "Finally."

Victoria closed her eyes. She suddenly felt a small drumbeat inside her head from the pressure of trying to think of all the implications involved with protecting Zorro. _How indeed has Diego done this all these years, and with only Felipe to help him?_ She rubbed her right temple with her fingers and looked up at Diego.

"All right. I believe one of the girls will help me out and cover for me tonight."

Giving her a smile, Diego lifted her hand and again placed a kiss on the back of it. He dared not kiss her on the lips right now, for he knew she remained angry at him, understandably so. "I shall see you this evening then. I will send Felipe with the wagon to pick you up."

"No…it's all right. I'll bring my wagon." She gently pulled her hand away. "I'll see you later, then."

Victoria hurried inside the tavern, her mind already preoccupied with everything she had to get done before she could leave for the de la Vega hacienda. Diego watched her go, holding back a sigh and shook his head. The conversation, overall, did go better than he had expected. Of course, besides the fear of rejection he always held, Diego had been so certain Victoria would never forgive him for proposing without first sharing his secret. He was somehow blessed with a woman who was willing to give him a chance to make it up to her for such a blunder. He walked to his horse whistling.

~~Z~~Z~~Z~~

"So Felipe, I've decided to tell my father I'm Zorro," Diego said, while the two of them were sitting in the cave.

In answer to Felipe's question 'Why?', Diego answered, "Victoria brought up an excellent point this afternoon. How am I ever going to allow her to get to know the real me when I can't even be that around my own father, in my own home?"

Felipe signed a remark, and Diego laughed. "Yes, I agree. Victoria is very intelligent."

"Then why did she fall in love with you then?" Felipe signed with a grin then ducked as Diego attempted to hit him on the back of the head.

"Very funny, young man. Just you wait until you fall in love…." Felipe nodded then rose to start grooming Toronado.

Diego sat back and considered how he was going to tell his father. Unfortunately, Alejandro had been out on the range checking out the livestock when Diego had arrived home from the pueblo. Diego had wanted to tell Alejandro as soon as possible, before he lost his nerve, and had been somewhat disappointed with the delay. However, the goal of marrying Victoria as soon as possible was excellent incentive to motivate him to not change his mind about finally telling the secret he'd been keeping from his father for four very long years.

Also, it would be a lot easier to handle his father's reaction to the delayed wedding if Alejandro knew the real reason for the delay, as well as perhaps utilizing Alejandro's quick mind in coming up with an excuse for delaying the wedding.

Thinking of his father, and his legacy, Diego suddenly thought of an excellent reason. One that his father might not readily approve of, since some of his relatives weren't easy to get along with, but perhaps they could use as their excuse to delay the wedding having to invite family from a good distance away. Depending upon Victoria's reactions, they might have to consider inviting some relatives from Spain, to make the story look good. That, in itself, would certainly allow Victoria enough time to work out all the issues regarding Zorro.

Again, Diego tried to tamp down the self-recriminations for not telling Victoria right away about Zorro. However, it was difficult to have known when the right time would've been. Certainly before he proposed, but some lingering doubts had remained regarding whether Victoria could actually love him, Diego, versus Zorro. Recognizing this, he had to admit to himself that was partly why he'd taken the opportunity to propose to her without telling her the secret, to see for himself, once and for all, that Victoria truly loved himself, as Diego, and not just because of Zorro.

He could examine his reasons for not telling her his secret identity ad nauseam _,_ but it would not take away the fact he had made a mistake. But, oh, how wonderful the past two months have been, simply enjoying being in love with Victoria, and accepting that she was truly in love with him. Certainly no one could blame him for wanting a little bit of happiness? However, he didn't think of the mess he now created for himself. Preventing the Alcalde from suspecting him to be Zorro, telling his father the secret. He shook himself, trying to stop thinking such maudlin thoughts. With love as the goal, how could he not succeed with sorting this all out?

~~Z~~Z~~Z~~

Diego was able to catch his father on his way to his bedroom to clean up before supper. He could tell by the way his father carried himself, muttering under his breath, that things didn't go well that day.

"Father! May I talk to you for a moment?"

"Oh, Diego. What is it now? Don't tell me a new book of poetry. No, wait, a new painting, I suppose?"

Diego blanched at the criticism apparent in his father's reply. _Despite how the conversation goes, hopefully my father never will say something this disparaging to me ever again_. "No, Father, just to let you know. I invited Victoria for supper tonight."

His father took a step back and rubbed his forehead with a dirty hand. "Oh, Diego, what a night to choose? It was especially rough today, trying to round up all the livestock, and discovering three were missing, for some reason. And we'll have a lady present for supper?" At Diego's wide-eyed, apologetic look, he let out a heavy sigh of frustration. "Oh, what do I do with you?" Walking away, he said, "I better hurry then. I will be down when I can. I feel like I brought back the entire ranch's dirt with me."

Diego cast his eyes toward heaven _. Wouldn't you know it; my luck he'd have a bad day on the ranch?_ His thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. He looked at his pocket watch, thinking it was too early for Victoria to arrive. Despite the thought, the senorita herself entered behind Felipe.

Looking down at himself, Diego was glad he had hurried to get ready early. "Buenas noches, Victoria."

"Buenas noches, Diego. I apologize if I'm too early, I…I wanted to continue our discussion from this afternoon."

Diego looked down at his beloved. Her eyes were shining, but had no condemnation or anger in them, and her cheeks were light pink. He was slightly comforted with the sight, but he also knew the Escalante temper could alight with barely a second's notice as well.

"My father did just arrive from the range, so it will be some time before supper will be served. We can go into the library. With Felipe around, it will be most proper."

Victoria nodded and took the arm Diego offered as he led her into the library. Felipe brought several glasses of lemonade and handed them to the couple. He smiled and nodded at Victoria, who returned his smile, and he silently went to the chair in the farthest corner of the library and sat down. He purposely picked up a book lying on the end table beside the chair and began to read.

 **AN: In an aside note, while I don't think there are very many viewers of Lois & Clark here, but that show enabled me to add a new wrinkle to Diego's fears. The fear whether Victoria truly loved Diego, and Diego wanting to propose before telling her about the secret identity to find out if she truly did love "the ordinary man". I didn't use direct quotes from the episode of Lois & Clark, but the episode I thought of was "And the Answer Is…". If you haven't given that series a try, you should. I think there are quite a few similarities between it and NWZ. Having Tim Minear be involved in both series is just the beginning of the list. Anyway, thanks for listening to that, and for reading my story. **

**(Oh, La Cuidadora, I had written that part before your review talking about the similarities, ha. I only recently realized that I did that. But it does agree with what you had said about the many correlations between the two shows.)**


	3. Chapter 3: The Talk with Alejandro

Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended. WPI owns characters of Zorro, Victoria, and Diego. I just own the original ideas found in this.

 **AN: Sorry for the delay with this chapter. That Muse is having too much fun creating other stories. Sigh. Thank you for all the reviews, favs and follows.**

Previously:

 _Victoria nodded and took the arm Diego offered as he led her into the library. Felipe brought several glasses of lemonade and handed them to the couple. He smiled and nodded at Victoria, who returned his smile, and he silently went to the chair in the farthest corner of the library and sat down. He purposely picked up a book lying on the end table beside the chair and began to read._

Diego watched Victoria as she settled herself on the blue sofa in the library. All he wanted was to gather her in his arms, but he knew that would most likely be unwelcomed. He tamped down his impatience and waited for Victoria to start the conversation, for he had no idea where she'd want to start their conversation.

Victoria began to gather her skirt into several folds in her lap. She cleared her throat and shuffled in her seat. Finally she looked up into his eyes and asked, "Did you, uh, did you have the chance to talk to your father about….you know…?"

Diego shook his head. "I was hoping to talk to him as soon as he got in from the range, but he'd had a terrible day. He wanted to clean up, especially with your joining us for supper."

The small smile left Victoria's face. "You say he's had a hard day? Does that mean he's in a bad mood?"

Diego smiled a small smile himself and shrugged slightly. "Don't worry about it, Victoria. He won't take his day out on you." Diego shuffled his feet. "Just me, probably."

Victoria's eyebrows furled. "Why? Will it _really_ be that bad to tell him, Diego?"

Diego attempted to smile, but he knew it wasn't very effective. He started to say something, changed his mind, then started something else. "I haven't been looking forward to it. You know my father. He'll be angry at first, I believe. First, for keeping it from him. Then, probably the act of Zorro itself."

"Diego, no! How could that be? Your father is one of the strongest supporters of Zorro ever. Why…"

"It's one thing to support a stranger revolting against tyranny, to not know who it is who's risking his life, his reputation, and his loved ones. It's quite another to find out it's your very own son who has been doing it."

"Doing what, Diego?" His father's voice caught Diego off-guard. Diego had been so involved in being in Victoria's presence, as well as the sensitive topic in which they were discussing, he failed to hear his father approach.

"Oh Father, I didn't hear you approach. I hope you got a little relief from…."

"Diego, we don't talk about such things in the presence of a lady. Buenos tardes, Victoria. I am so happy you could join us for supper."

"I hope it doesn't inconvenience you, Don Alejandro. It's just…."

"You could never be any inconvenience, Victoria. Maria stopped me as I was walking over here to tell me supper is ready." As Diego rose and waited for Victoria to rise to offer her his arm, Alejandro told his son, "Perhaps after supper you will tell me what you and Victoria were discussing."

"Of course, Father."

~~Z~~Z~~Z~~

Supper was very pleasant, despite Diego's nervousness regarding the upcoming conversation. Despite how it probably will start, Diego hoped it would go well. After all, Don Alejandro had so often spoken of his admiration for Zorro and all his works, why wouldn't he be proud of his son doing such things as well?

After supper, once the three of them were once again settled in the library, Alejandro turned to his son with an expectant look upon his face. "Well, I could tell something has been bothering you, Diego. Is it something to do with what you have to tell me? What could be so bad it's making you look like you're ready to jump out of your skin?"

Diego cleared his throat. "Well, Father, I told Victoria something today that I also need to share with you. A secret no one else knows about, except for Felipe." Diego looked up at the doorway, just in time to watch the young man slip into the library and take a seat by the back window. Felipe sent Diego an encouraging smile and nodded.

"Well? You know I don't have much patience, especially this late at night, Diego."

Diego stifled a frustrated sigh, and lost all train of thought. Suddenly, all the frustrations of the past three years caught up to him and he blurted out, "Father, I'm Zorro."

Alejandro looked at Diego for a moment, then at Victoria. He laughed, and the laugh grew louder. Alejandro slapped his knee. "Diego, you come up with the wildest pranks. I could swear you just said you were Zorro."

Diego looked at Victoria, who only shook her head. "I guess I should have told him differently."

Alejandro's eyes went between Victoria and Diego several times. "You mean…."

"Yes, Don Alejandro," Victoria said in her quiet, melodic voice. "What Diego says is true. He really _is_ Zorro. And I only found out myself today."

Alejandro got up and began to pace in front of the fireplace. He stopped abruptly and turned to Victoria. "You mean, Diego proposed to you without telling you this secret?"

Diego swallowed. In all of his worries he forgot his father would realize that as well. _Another thing for Father to yell at me about._

Victoria paled a little. "Actually, Don Alejandro, he did." When she saw Alejandro began to speak, she hurriedly added, "But he had a reason for that, though."

"There's never a good reason for acting like a cad with a young woman, Diego!"

"Father, it wasn't like that."

"Wasn't it? And then you lying to me all of these years? And not trusting me…going behind my back in my very own house. Bringing possible danger upon this hacienda, this ranch, to all of our tenants and servants? How could you do that, Diego? Did you ever think of all that? Of how many people could be affected by your foolish decision?"

"What I thought of was rescuing you and Victoria from the Alcalde's jail, and possibly from his noose as well. _That_ was what I was thinking at the time. And I do _not_ think of that as foolish." Diego's temper rose as high as his father's. Victoria sat back in her chair, not believing the fierce reaction the usually passive young man was displaying. _I guess he is more like his father than we ever thought._

"Diego, how dare you raise your voice to me, your father."

"How dare you, my father, doubt the necessity of my actions. The actions which were done only to keep _you_ from getting _killed_."

That statement Alejandro up short. He looked at Diego as though he was seeing his son for the very first time. Diego could almost see gears working together in his father's brain to help him arrive at a logical conclusion. He stumbled his way to his armchair and blindly sat down.

Biting his lip, Alejandro nodded slowly at his son, like he was beginning to view things logically. He blew out a large sigh and said, "You are correct, Diego. Without 'Zorro' letting us out of jail at that particular time, the Alcalde might very well have proceeded to hang us as an 'example'. With your appearance you made him rethink his approach. Made him pull back. It was only temporary but every time Zorro acted out against the Alcalde, it made him reconsider his next actions." Walking towards Diego, Alejandro stuck his hand out. "I apologize, my son. And I thank you. For every time you rescued me, for every time you assisted the pueblo, for every time you risked your life to help others. I…I am very proud of you."

Diego stood and shook his father's hand and watched as his father took another deep breath. "I also apologize, Diego, for all the insulting remarks I have ever made against you. Such remarks were uncalled for and, now I realize, untrue."

"I accept your apologies, Father. And your gratitude. It does soothe all those times…all those times you hurt me, even though you didn't mean to." Diego cleared his throat. "But, you see, Father, those remarks were also important in establishing me being separate from Zorro. They helped me sustain the illusion of not being able to be Zorro, thus keeping all of us safe."

"Now that we have that settled," Victoria said, "we must discuss the next thing on our agenda, Diego." As both men turned to her with a questioning look upon their faces, she continued. "Should we delay the wedding because of this knowledge, Don Alejandro?" At Alejandro's question of "What?" she continued. "At first, Don Alejandro, I was so…taken aback by this information, I wasn't sure if I wanted to still marry Diego. After all, did I ever really know him?" Holding up her hand to still Alejandro's comment, she said, "I know. I've known him all my life. But, the past two years he's been…he's been quite different from the boy I used to know. Now that I know he really isn't that different, I…I have to reconcile the image of docile, inactive Diego, with the active, boisterous, magnificent Zorro. And…I've been having trouble with that at first, Don Alejandro."

"You really just found out?"

"Yes, Diego told me today. But…after thinking about it for a while, and listening as you're trying to accept the idea as well, it…it has helped me realize that…indeed, I will have to get used to the idea still, and I still have many," turning to look Diego directly in the eye, "many, many questions," she emphasized, "I suppose I could still go through with the wedding in the time frame planned."

Diego gently took ahold of her hand and raised it to his lips. He placed a soft kiss on the back of it, looking deeply into her eyes. "Only if you are positive, Victoria." Licking his lips in trepidation, Diego asked, "Are you sure?"

Looking into the gentle blue eyes of her novio, finally all of her doubts about accepting all sides of him disappeared. "Yes, Diego, I am positive." Raising a finger at him, she said, "Now, this does not mean I have accepted everything that has happened, or that all my questions have been answered. Or that you do not have many, many things to make up to me for. Just that…I am willing to let you try."

A huge smile broke out across Diego's face. He lifted Victoria in his arms and swung her around. "Oh, gracias, my Corazon, my Bella, my preciosa! I gladly vow the rest of my life making it up to you."

"Well, Son…since we got that taken care of, why don't we sit down and you can tell us more about Zorro's escapades." Looking at Felipe, who was trying to look inconspicuous in the doorway, Alejandro motioned for the young man to join them. "You too, young man. I am sure you have lots to tell us as well."

Catching Felipe's eye and smiling, Diego couldn't help but say, "Well, Father…since you mentioned it," as Felipe began to blush.

 **AN: I know, I know. I am ending yet another story without a wedding. One of these times I'll write a story with a wedding…just not now. And stopping it in a middle of a good conversation too. Oh well. I feel like I've done enough of these conversations lately.**

 **Thank you for all your kind remarks, reviews, and patience with this slightly different story. Who knows, it may spin some other stories for me. Or a rewrite to add more to the beginning. But for now, I'm going to leave as is.**


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